Kenji Fukunaga (福永 健司, Fukunaga Kenji, 5 August 1910 – 31 May 1988) was a Japanese politician who was Chief Cabinet Secretary on four separate occasions, and, as well as serving in various other cabinet positions, was also appointed as Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan.[2] He was also seen as an influential voice within the Liberal Democratic Party.[3]
Kenji Fukunaga | |
|---|---|
| 福永 健司 | |
 | |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 26 December 1983 – 24 January 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Hajime Fukuda |
| Succeeded by | Michita Sakata[1] |
| Minister of Transport | |
| In office 28 November 1977 – 7 December 1978 | |
| Prime Minister | Takeo Fukuda |
| Preceded by | Hajime Tamura |
| Succeeded by | Kinji Moriyama |
| Minister of Health and Welfare | |
| In office 11 November 1974 – 9 December 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Kakuei Tanaka |
| Preceded by | Kunikichi Saito |
| Succeeded by | Masami Tanaka |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 3 December 1966 – 22 June 1967 | |
| Prime Minister | Eisaku Satō |
| Preceded by | Kiichi Aichi |
| Succeeded by | Toshio Kimura |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office 18 July 1961 – 18 July 1962 | |
| Prime Minister | Hayato Ikeda |
| Preceded by | Hirohide Ishida |
| Succeeded by | Takeo Ōhashi |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 24 March 1953 – 10 December 1954 | |
| Prime Minister | Shigeru Yoshida |
| Preceded by | Taketora Ogata |
| Succeeded by | Ryūtaro Nemoto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 5, 1910 Koka, Shiga, Japan |
| Died | May 31, 1988 (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University |
Early life
editFukunaga was born on 5 August 1910, in Koka, Shiga.[3] He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1933.[3]
Career
editAfter initially working in textiles, and rising to a management position, Fukunaga entered the world of politics and became deputy governor of Saitama Prefecture in 1947.[3] In 1949, Fukunaga stood for election and became the representative from Saitama 5th (a seat he retained 15 times).[2][3]
In his early years in politics, Fukunaga received extensive political tutoring from Shigeru Yoshida, and became a protégé of his, serving in his cabinet twice as Chief Cabinet Secretary.[2][3] He then reprised that role in the cabinet of Eisaku Satō, serving as Chief Cabinet Secretary twice more, while he briefly served as Minister of Labour in the interim period under Hayato Ikeda.[2] It was under Satō that Fukunaga came into his own, serving as Chair of the LDP General Council in the late 1960s, and playing a key role as a special ambassador in the Japanese government's response to the Lod Airport massacre.[3][4][5][6]
In the 1970s, Fukunaga also served in the Tanaka and Fukuda cabinets, and a few years before his death was appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, a post he retained until 1985.[2][3] He remained a key figure within the party until his death.[3] Fukunaga passed away on 31 May 1988.[2]
Honours
edit- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Pauwlonia Flowers (1986)[3]
References
edit- ^ "Speakers and Vice-Speakers of the House of Representatives". The House of Representatives, Japan. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "福永健司". Kotobank. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "福永 健司". Kotobank. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "自由民主党歴代執行部". 戦後政治史ふぁん倶楽部. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Nixon deplores massacre; Japan apologizes to Israel". Long Beach Independent. 5 June 1972. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Israel Massacre". AP. 5 June 1972. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
External links
edit- Historic Japanese cabinets (in Japanese), kantei.go.jp; accessed 30 January 2018.
- Historic LDP Presidents, Secretaries General, Chairs of General Affairs Committee and of Policy Research Committee (in Japanese), geocities.co.jp/WallStreet-Stock/7643/; accessed 31 March 2018